Former 5-star wide receiver enters college football transfer portal

While many of the players who annually fill the transfer portal are discontented and are seeking playing time, others are standouts merely looking to shine a bit brighter. And in the case of one recruit who could grab some extra eligibility (NCAA ruling pending), the potential to star means even a bit more.

Diego Pavia managed to have his two JUCO years disregarded by the NCAA, which then extended its ruling to any JUCO athletes for the 2025-26 season. But recent court filings have sought to extend that relief to another edition of portal prospects and could add extra eligibility.

One such player who could benefit from the NCAA ruling is former top JUCO recruit Chris Marshall. Marshall was 247sports' top national JUCO recruit in the 2024 recruiting class and before that was a five-star recruit in the 2022 high school recruiting class.

Marshall started his college career at Texas A&M and caught four passes there in 2022. After transferring to Ole Miss, he ended up spending the 2023 season at Kilgore College, where he caught 21 passes for 449 yards and five touchdowns.

The top JUCO recruit nationally in 2024, Marshall picked Boise State. He played in just four games in 2024 before injury ended his season. But in 2025, Marshall caught 30 passes for 574 yards and two touchdowns. He enters the portal with at least one year of eligibility left, but could gain another year if the NCAA rules in favor of JUCO eligibility not counting against 2026-27 players.

The 6'3" Marshall was an elite high school recruit who chose from a top three schools of Texas A&M, Alabama, and USC. He has struggled off the field, between attending four schools and facing disciplinary issues at Ole Miss that led to his dismissal from the team. Interestingly, none of the three head coaches who recruited Marshall in 2021 are still in place-- Texas A&M moved on from Jimbo Fisher, USC cut Clay Helton loose, and Nick Saban retired from Alabama.

Marshall hails from Missouri City, Texas, which is located near Houston. Given the abundance of programs in the Lone Star State, it wouldn't be surprising if Marshall elected to stay near home for his fifth college. Baylor had a massive passing game with Sawyer Robertson in 2025, and Houston won 10 games with Conner Weighman leading its offense. Marshall brings good size and obvious playmaking skills, given his over 19 yards per catch in 2025.